A woman who vomits up to 15 times every has described how her rare and incurable illness has ruined her life, and nearly led to her losing her daughter.

Mum-of-one Christina Smith suffers from Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) - a condition that brings on uncontrollable bouts of vomiting that come in cycles.

As a result, the poorly mum resident faces attacks which happen at least once a month and can last between 48 and 72 hours each - leaving Christina bedridden in hospital.

The 27-year-old, of Edinburgh, is adamant that she has been left so debilitated by the symptoms that, if it hadn't been for the support of family, her beloved five-year-old daughter Daisy, would have been taken away from her.

Christina, who was diagnosed last year, first began to suspect something might be wrong several years ago but faced a long struggle to have her condition confirmed.

She experienced severe sickness and abdominal cramps when she was expecting Daisy and was told she had Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which is the term used to describe extreme vomiting and sickness in pregnancy.

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The mum says she has been left so debilitated by the symptoms that her daughter could have been taken away from her (Image: Daily Record)

But, looking back, Christina believes this may have been the first sign of what was to come.

She told the Daily Record : "When I was pregnant, I was very sick - as soon as I opened my eyes it would start. I didn't know it at the time but I think that may have been the onset of CVS because all of the symptoms I was having point to it now."

Despite a number of trips to see medics during the years that followed, Christina said she couldn't get anyone to take her seriously, despite her rapidly declining health.

"It was terrible," she explained. "I was made to feel like it was all in my head and professionals questioned whether I could be bulimic.

"There were times when I was left sitting in A&E for several hours because they didn't know what to do. It took such a long time for me to get diagnosed, because there just isn't enough awareness about the condition."

She was eventually diagnosed by specialists after having blood tests and scans.

Christina admits that while there was a sense of relief and "validation" for her there was no real light at the end of the tunnel.

She said: "There is no cure for this, it will never really go away. So, although I knew what I was dealing with, I have still had to cope with having a lot of unanswered questions.

"I'm missing out on so many things because I don't know how I will feel from one day to the next. I couldn't even go to my daughter's christening.

She experienced severe sickness and abdominal cramps when she was expecting Daisy (Image: Daily Record)

"I fully believe that if it wasn't for my mum stepping in to help me every day, Daisy would be taken in to care.

"Some months I spend around 2 weeks in hospital altogether and, with being a single mother who has nobody else there to shoulder some of the strain, there wouldn't be any other option."

So far this year, Christina has been admitted to hospital five times in order to recover after particularly bad episodes.

Currently under the care of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, doctors are trialing various medications to help get her symptoms under control but the best the devoted parent, who has been left unable to work full-time, knows there isn't going to be a magical fix.

"When bouts get really bad, I am given fluids and a type of anti-sickness drug, but nothing really works," she added.